This is Orbital Sciences Corps' second operational mission to resupply the ISS under a $1.9 billion NASA contract. Six more missions are expected to launch through 2016 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).

Hampton Roads will have a front-row seat to these launches, which use a medium-lift Antares booster, also built by Orbital. The Antares can be seen up and down the mid-Atlantic Seaboard, weather permitting, when it lifts off.

The Orb-2 mission is hauling about 3,700 pounds of crew provisions, hardware, spare parts and science experiments to the crew.